Trial treatment for B cell lymphoma available locally for free

CNS AFFECTS ONE OUT OF EVERY THREE DOGS AND IT'S THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN DOGS OVER THE AGE OF 10. NOW THERE'S A NEW TREATMENT THAT'S PROLONGING THE LIFE OF YOUR DOG. AND IT COULD ALSO HELP CATS AND EVEN HORSES WITHOUT USING CHEMOTHERAPY OR RADIATION. MATT AUSTIN SHOWS US HOW IT WORKS AND HOW YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO HAVE YOUR PET PARTICIPANT. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A VEHICVACCINE TO PREVENT AND TREAT CANCER. SO ARE IF A, VERY FEW IF ANY SIDE EFFECTS. IT'S PROVING TO BE MUCH LESS EXPENSIVE THAN TRADITIONAL TREATMENTS. DR. TRACE DID I LADUE KNOWS WHAT IT'S LIKE TO GO THROUGH CANCER THERAPY. SHE IS A BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR. SOME OF THOSE TOOLS ARE PRETTY HEFTY AND IT'S OUR GOAL IN VETERINARY ONCOLOGY TO NOT CAUSE ANY SIDE EFFECTS WHEN WE TREAT WITH CHEMOTHERAPY AND RADIATION. THERE HAVE BEEN ZERO SIDE EFFECTS TO THIS TUMOR VACCINE. SHE COULDN'T EVEN STAND UP WHEN SHE CAME TO THE VET. IT WAS LIKE SHE WENT FROM SWIMMING THE DAY BEFORE, OUT RUNNING AROUND, PLAYING TENNIS BALL WITH ME WHICH SHE DOES EVERY DAY, ALL THE SUDDEN SHE COULDN'T STAND UP. ABBY IS PART OF THE BRIAN FAMILY. SHE HAS BEEN WITH THEM SINCE SHE WAS A PUPPY. WHEN THEY FOUND OUT SHE HAD CANCER, THEY WERE DETERMINED TO DO EVERYTHING THEY COULD TO KEEP HER ALIVE. IT WAS RIGHT UNDER HERE, LYMPH NODE THAT WAS BIOPSIED. TAILORED SPECIFICALLY FOR EACH PATIENT. LYMPH NODES ARE TAKEN FROM THE BODY, THEN TAKEN TO A LAB IN TAMPA WHERE THEY ARE COMBINED WITH HARMLESS BACTERIA. THAT CREATES THE VACCINE THAT GOES BACK INTO THE BODY ALLOWING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM TO KICK THE CANCER. SCIENTISTS HAVE FIGURED OUT A WAY TO MAKE THE CANCER CELLSES BE RECOGNIZED BY THE IMMUNE SYSTEM. NORMALLY, CANCER DEVE CANCER CELLS ARE HANGING OUT IN THE BODY AND DOING THEIR THING. LOOKING FOR DOGS DIAGNOSED WITH B CELL LYMPHOMA WHICH IS WHAT ABBY. SHE HAS A MONTH LEFT. VACCINE. HOPE IS SHE CAN SPEND THIS WINTER IN ONE OF HER FAVORITE PLACES IN THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS. WHEN SHE KNOWS WE'RE GOING, SHE JUMPING ALL OVER THE PLACE AND READY TO JUMP IN THE CAR, SHE LOVES IT UP THERE. 2100 FEET FEET UP, NEXT DOOR TO A NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE THAT HAS 15 MILES OF HIKING TRAILS. SHE'S GOT A SUPER HEART. SHE WEARS IT RIGHT ON HER ELBOW. WE'RE REALLY HOPING SHE IS GOING TO FINISH UP HERE AND GET TO GO ON THAT TRIP TO THE MOUNTAIN LIKE DAD WANTS. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FREE TRIAL, TALK WITH YOUR VETERINARIAN OR LOG ON TO THE LOCAL 6 FACEBOOK PAGE. FIND THE CONTACT INFORMATION FOR SOUTHEAST VETERINARY ONCOLOGY AND MEDICINE WHICH IS JUST ABOUT TWO HOURS AWAY. IN JACKSONVILLE. THEY WILL DO A FREE TEST TO SEE IF YOUR DOG IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE VACCINE AND IF IT IS, THE VACCINE IS ABSOLUTELY FREE. THAT WAS A GOOD LOOKING DOG.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -

Right now, there's a trial underway with a new vaccine that's keeping dogs, cats and horses with certain types of cancer alive without chemotherapy or radiation. Local veterinarians say they are thrilled with this medical breakthrough.

So far there are very few, if any, side effects and it's much less expensive then traditional treatments. Southeast Veterinary Oncology and Medicine in Orange Park is using the vaccine now and really seeing great results.

Veterinarian Dr. Tracey LaDue knows what it's like to go through chemotherapy. She's a breast cancer survivor, but when it comes to our pets, doctors focus on quality of life, not quantity.

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"Some of those tools are pretty heavy and it's our goal in veterinarian oncology to not cause any side effects when we treat with chemo and radiation, and there have been zero effects with this vaccination to date," explained LaDue.

Abby is a dog that has been on the vaccine for years. She has improved greatly since she first came to the vet.

"She couldn't even stand up," said Abby's owner, Kendall Bryan. "I mean, it was like she went from swimming the day before, well not swimming, but out running, playing tennis ball with me like she does every day, and all of the sudden she couldn't even stand up."

Abby's been with the Bryan family since she was a puppy so when they later found out it was cancer, they were determined to do whatever they could to keep her alive.

"You can probably still see she doesn't have fur, but it was right under here the lymph node that was biopsied," said Bryan.

Experts told Local 6 each vaccine is tailored specifically for each patient. Lymph nodes are taken from the body and then taken to a lab in Tampa, where they are combined with a harmless bacteria. That creates the vaccine which goes back into the body, and the idea here is that your body and your immune system will then seek out the cancer and fight it.

"The scientists at Morphogenesis have figured out a way to make the cancer cells be recognized by the immune system. Normally cancer cells are hanging out in your body and we have no idea that we have them, and the immune system is not doing its thing," explained LaDue.

Right now, they're looking for dogs with B cell lymphoma, exactly what Abby has. She's got a month left of the vaccine and the hope is she can spend this winter in one of her favorite places in the North Carolina mountains.

"When she knows we're going, she's jumping all over the place and jumping in the car because she loves it up there because it's 2,100 feet up," said Bryan. "It's next to a national historic site that has like 15 miles of hiking trails."

"She's got a super heart. We're really hoping that she's going to finish up and get that trip to the mountains that dad wants," added LaDue.

For more information about the free trial, talk with your veterinarian. You can also contact Southeast Veterinary Oncology and Medicine in Orange park at 904-278-3870. There, they will do a free test to see if your dog is eligible for the vaccine. If so, the vaccine is absolutely free.

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